Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1887-03-11
Charlottesville Photographed.
THE DEATH OF sToNEWALL JACKSON
THERE.

/
THE DEATH OF sTONEWALL JACKSON
| The lecture of Maj Jed. Hotchkiss, Sat-
urday night. at the Y. M. Z. A. Hall,
could better be photographed than report
ed. 1t was the drawing of the field and all
the adjacent country, on blackboard, in
terspersed with comments by the lecturer.
on the strategical value Of the various
points and the bodies of troops that were
massed or in motion at them. Ii was a
spider web of roads and creeks, and in the
centre of the web was the bloody field OF
Chancellorville. The movements OF
the troops along the threads of the web
were given by the speaker. 1t was just the
thing to give spectator realistic idea Of
the lay of the land and the objects OF the
different movements, something so hard
to keep in mind while reading an account
in type OF battle. After Burnside's re-
pulse at Fredericksburg, he made two
movements with the intent TO turn Lees
left, but both on account OF storms
had to be abandoned. He was then
removed, and Hooker put in his place.
Both of Burnside's movements were
known to Lee the moment they common
ced, a Confederate signal officer, Wilbur of
Georgia. having gotten hold OF the Fed
eral signal code and translating their sig
nails for Lee. When Hooker was put in,
he also determined to turn Lees left. He
had 12O, 900 men and Lee had 10000, Long
street being away with his corps near Suf-
folk.
TURNING HOOKER's LEFT.
On the night of Friday preceding the
battle, Lee and Jackson bivouacked to-
gether. near Charlottesville. 1, said Maj.
Hotchkiss, shared my blanket with Gen.
Jackson. Next morning, felt some one
pushing me. L woke and saw Jackson
seated on cracker box the Federals had
left there. He said, II want you to 60 and
see if you cannot find road to reach the
rear of Hooker left" [ went down the
road and found a Mr.. Wexford who knew
the country. located the road Gen. Jack
Jackson were seated on cracker boxes. [
took another cracker box and put my map
of the field on it before them, when this
conversation took place:
Gen. Lee to Gen. Jackson.-What do
you propose to do?
Gen. Jackson-l propose to go right
around to Hooker's rear.
Gen. Lee.-But what with?
Gen. Jackson.-My whole command.
Gen. Lee.-What do you leave me?
Gen. Jackson You have two divisions
Sir.
Gen. Jackson at once commenced the
movement. But the Yankees were as
smart now as Wilbur had been before.
They had the Confederate code of signals.
| The movement of Jackson was discovered
| and. one of their signal stations signalled
! to our officer, "W here is Jackson going?"
Our signal officer Immediately caught on
| to the ruse, knowing that we had no sig
| nal station where the enquiry had come
| from, and signalled back, HE is going to
Richm ond as fast as he CAM
Jackson reached their rear, but Sickle's
| had not been deceived as Hooker had been
| and he attacked the rear of Jackson's
| force. Jackson detached a brigade to at
| tend to him and marched straight along
{ on Hooker's rear. 1t was about o'clock
| in the afternoon when the order to go
! forward was given to the Confederate line.
1t went forward into the wilderness like
great drag, the rabbits, deers and every
| thing in front flying before it. The foxes
ran into the Federal camp where they were
cooking supper and IN a moment more the
| Confederates were upon them. The Elev-
| enth corps, Siegel'S. was doubled up and
! swept in a rout nearly up to Chancellors-
I vile. 1t had now gotten dark and there was
again. Ricketts, Federal battery though
deserted by its infantry support had held
its ground and stood in the road. Jack
without knowing what it was, galloped up
to it and yelled to it to get OUT of the way.
He found his mistake and rode back. I'm
fortunately at this moment some of our
North Carolina troops not knowing who
| be was, and seeing him ride towards our
| line, fired at him and he fell, three or
| four of his staff being killed at the mo-
ment. In a moment everything was in
confusion. A. P. Hill came up The
litter bearers picked jackson up. Rick
ett's battery commenced firing again with
| rapidity The first shot killed one of the
! litter bearers. and it fell. Jackson gave a
slight groan, the first sound that had es-
capped him. The fire created a stampede
among the wagons which were drawn up
in the road, for about five minutes. For
tunately Rickett stopped firing and Jack
son was taken off. A. P. Hill was wound
ed shortly after.
Maj. Hotchkiss then went on to describe
the next days fight, the bottling up Of
Hooker, and, while he was thus bottled
up, Lees leaving him and driving Sedgwick
across the RlVanna river, and finally the
whole Federal force forced back over the
river again. The speaker was of the opin-
ion that while charlottesville was a
Confederate victory, yet it might be said
with truth that the sun of the Confedera-
cy set there. Never again, after the fall
OF Jackson was the feeling of the men who
had fought under him. the same as IL had
been during his life.
In speaking of the object of the lecture,
to raise funds for q suitable monument to
mark the spot where Jackson fell, the
lecturer said it was hoped that the monu-
ment would be in the shape of tower, so
lofty as that the whole battle field could
be viewed from its top, and that in its in
terror might be preserved the stories of
IL